The present invention pertains to a tension responsive fishing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a tension responsive fishing apparatus in which line tension on a fishing line caused by a fish is sensed in order to determine parameters for setting the fish hook, adjusting fishing pole stiffness, and adjusting the drag associated with the fishing reel.
Over the years, there have been improvements to the fishing poles used by anglers when catching fish. Generally, these improvements consisted of advancements in the materials used to make the fishing pole. For example, for many years it was common to use natural materials, such as wood or bamboo, to provide a fishing pole which had a suitable flexure. However, these natural materials were often inadequate due to the lack of control of the consistency of the material, susceptibility to splintering and/or susceptibility to degradation due to rot or insects. An example of a conventional fishing pole is shown in FIG. 8(a). A pole 12, is attached to a handle 14 and fishing line 16 is guided through eyelets 18. A conventional reel 20 is provided for holding the fishing line 16 and for retrieving the fishing line 16.
In modern times, with the advancements of material science, fishing poles have been constructed using such advanced materials as, for example, fiberglass. This provided a means for repeatedly manufacturing fishing pole having consistent flexure and other quality control standards. Furthermore, the use of fiberglass also made the fishing pole much more durable and much less susceptible to degradation due to natural causes. However, even the fiberglass fishing pole was lacking in the combination of sensitivity, appropriate flexure, and strength.
Recently, new composite materials have been utilized in the production of fishing poles. For example, a graphite composite fishing pole is known which takes advantage of the light weight and high strength of the graphite composite, which allow controllable and consistent manufacturing process while advancing the obtaining of the desired goal of the combination of sensitivity, appropriate flexure, and strength. However, like the other conventional fishing poles, even the graphite composite fishing pole is severely inadequate in that the flexure associated with a particular pole is predetermined and unchangeable and is determined by, for example, the thickness of the composite material, the type of composite material, the length of the rod, etc.
Optimally, a fishing pole should be constructed which has a variable flexure. In other words, it is desired that a fishing pole be constructed in which a relatively large amount of elasticity and flexure is present during, for example, the casting of the lure or bait to provide improved distance and accuracy. Furthermore, when setting the hook in a fish has struck the lure or bait, it is desired that the fishing pole have a degree of stiffness which is adequate to jerk the hook to force the barb of the hook into the flesh and/or bone of the fish's mouth.
Furthermore, during the fight of the fish it is desired that the flexibility of the fishing pole may be adjustable at different times during the duration of the fight. For example, after setting the hook while the fish still has a lot of fight in it, it is desirous that the fishing pole have an adequate degree of flexibility and elasticity to absorb the shocks associated with the relatively strong fight in the fish. Then, as the fish tires, it is desired to continually adjust the stiffness of the fishing pole to optimally retrieve the fish while still providing enough flexure to absorb the shocks of the weakening fight of the fish.
Conventional fishing poles are inadequate in that they provide absolutely no means for adjusting the stiffness of the fishing pole. Therefore, an angler is forced to select from an assortment of fishing poles having varying stiffness dependent on the circumstances and conditions he anticipates to encounter while fishing. Among other things, this substantially raises the cost associated with fishing in that a variety of poles must be on hand depending on the anticipated conditions. Alternatively, if an improper pole has been selected, a fish too large for the pole may hit, resulting in the disadvantageous effect of broken equipment or worse yet, lost fish.
Conventionally, fishing reels have been provided to facilitate the retrieving of the fishing line and to facilitate the bringing in of the fish. An example of a conventional reel is shown in FIG. 8(b). A case 22 is provided and is rotatable in response to the cranking of a crank 24 by a user. A bobbin 26 is provided and during retrieval of the fishing line 16 remains rotatably still relative to the rotation of the case 22. The case 22 carries a bale 30 and the fishing line 16 is slidably held by a bail hoop 28. Thus, as the crank 24 is turned, the fishing line 16 is wound around the bobbin member 26. The bobbin 26 is rotatable in response to tension applied to the fishing line 16 by, for example, a hooked fish. A drag mechanism 32 is provided for applying a constant drag against the rotation of the bobbin 26. The strength of the drag is set by a user to what he estimates is an appropriate drag strength. These conventional reels have been constructed with this drag mechanism 32 for applying a degree of drag to the fishing line 28 to provide resistance to the efforts of the fish. This drag is also provided so that during trolling, the water resistance experienced by a lure trolled behind a boat, due to the relative motions of the water and the boat, is compensated for and prevents the lure and excessive line from being pulled out while still providing a loose enough drag so that a striking fish does not snap the line and/or does not notice the unnatural movement of the lure before the hook can be set in the fish's mouth. This drag mechanism is further provided so that during the fight of the fish an appropriate amount of drag can be applied to resist the efforts of the fish allowing the angler the ability to reel the fish in without snapping the line. However, this drag must be continually adjusted during the fight of a fish, particularly when a large fish is taken on light tackle.
This is because during the duration of the fight of the fish the fish will have varying degrees of strength and will exhibit various escape maneuvers which must be compensated for in order to prevent the drag from causing the line to snap during a particularly violent action taken by the fish. In other words, the angler must be constantly aware of the actions of the fish and must constantly adjust the drag applied to the fishing line during the duration of the fight. Unfortunately, oftentimes a tired fish will have enough energy reserves for a few violent spasms, particularly when the fish sights the boat, which are often enough to snap the line against the tightened drag necessary to reel the fish in, causing the fish to be lost.
Furthermore, there are many instances when an angler loses a fish because he has either improperly set the hook or he was not holding the fishing pole to set the hook when the fish strikes. For example, when trolling, it is common to keep the drag of the conventional reel set so that a fish striking at the lure does not feel any resistance from the drag. In other words, the drag is set to just prevent the water resistance from pulling out more fishing line. Therefore, when the angler is driving the boat and unable to attend to the pole or poles, he listens for the sound of line being taken from the reel signifying that a fish has struck and he must quickly get to the pole, set the drag, and violently jerk back on the pole to set the hook in the fish's mouth. Unfortunately, by the time the fisherman gets to his pole the fish has already determined that the lure is not real and has spit the lure out resulting in another lost fish. Also, oftentimes a fisherman will fish with two or more poles to increase his chances of catching fish. In these instances, he may again employ the techniques of setting a very low drag resistance and then listening for the quick out take of line from the reel signifying the striking of a fish. Again, this often results in a lost fish due to the time factor involved in getting to the pole. The conventional art provides no adequate means for alleviating these substantial drawbacks associated with fishing.